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Not Since 1933 Has Washington Won A Spot In The World Series

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Last night, the Washington Nationals did something that has never been done in franchise history. Here's how it sounded on TBS.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: And there it is. The Washington Nationals are National League champions.

INSKEEP: They won the League Championship, which means they made it to the final round of the playoffs, the World Series.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The Nationals are beating the odds. As of late May, their chance of reaching the World Series was rated at one-tenth of 1%. Their odds had improved considerably by the time they faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the League Championship Series.

INSKEEP: Here in Washington yesterday afternoon, a friend of mine, a St. Louis native, bravely wore around his Cardinals cap, but it did no good, as the Nats swept the Cardinals four games to none.

MARTIN: Afterwards, Nats Manager Dave Martinez had a one-word reaction.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DAVE MARTINEZ: Boom.

MARTIN: Boom. No need to elaborate, though, Dave.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) D.C. has not sent a team to the World Series since 1933, back when the home team was the Senators. That season started with a special guest throwing out the first pitch.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: All ready out there? Here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #2: Mr. Roosevelt's pitch is wild, but we'll forgive him. Everybody knows he has plenty on the ball (ph).

INSKEEP: President Franklin D. Roosevelt 86 years ago.

MARTIN: The Senators lost that series. As for who the Nats will be facing, that is still yet to be determined. The Houston Astros and the New York Yankees face each other in Game 4 of their series tonight. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.